Mind Matters Natural and Artificial Intelligence News and Analysis

TagCreativity

the-girl-plays-the-guitar-music-lessons-oil-painting-on-canvas-stockpack-adobe-stock
.The girl plays the guitar. Music lessons. Oil painting on canvas.
Type
post
Author
Russ White
Date
November 5, 2023
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Arts & Culture
Tagged
, , , , , , ,

Creativity Takes Discipline. AI Offers an Easy, but Boring, Way Out

Because creativity requires work, AI systems will stunt human creativity over time.
Russ White
November 5, 2023
4
Artificial Intelligence, Arts & Culture

Consider the following scenarios and compare: Leilani considered the images on the screen … choose five, copy them, and paste them from the AI generator to the AI evaluator. Two to choose from … creative juices flowing, Leilani chose one and started working on the type. Which typeface would represent the playful air the client was looking for? Back to the AI selector to describe each face. All of them were playful, but one was fun, too — that’s the right match! After a few more minutes of creative release, Leilani leaned back to consider the result. Paste a copy of the final to her local friend’s group and wait a minute … the first response was: “Wow! You’re as Read More ›

checklist-writing-notice-remember-planning-concepthome-office-desk-backgroundhand-holding-pen-and-writing-note-on-wood-table-stockpack-adobe-stock
Checklist Writing Notice Remember Planning Concept,home office desk background,hand holding pen and writing note on wood table.
Type
post
Author
Richard W. Stevens
Date
October 20, 2023
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Arts & Culture
Tagged
, , , , , , , , ,

Lawsuit Champions Human Creativity Over AI Mimicry

Copyright laws can protect against sophisticated plagiarism.
Richard W. Stevens
October 20, 2023
6
Artificial Intelligence, Arts & Culture

Is it possible to violate the copyright on a written work without actually copying the exact words in it?  Yes. And that fact points up how ChatGPT can trample human authors’ rights to their creative work products.   The previous article, Authors Guild Sues OpenAI for Unlawful Copying of Creative Works, described the lawsuit filed by The Authors Guild and many individual writers against OpenAI (and related defendants) for having taught ChatGPT how to copy the writers’ articles and books and then to generate “derivative works.”  The lawsuit first charges that OpenAI made unauthorized copies of billions of words of text, including likely thousands of entire books and articles, to use as training materials for ChatGPT. Making such copies would Read More ›

ai-machine-learning-hands-of-robot-and-human-touch-on-big-data-network-brain-data-creative-in-light-bulb-science-and-artificial-intelligence-technology-innovation-for-futuristic-stockpack-adobe-stock
AI, Machine learning, Hands of robot and human touch on big data network, Brain data creative in light bulb, Science and artificial intelligence technology, innovation for futuristic.
Type
podcast
Author
Robert J. Marks
Date
August 31, 2023
Tagged
, , ,

Why You Are Non-Computable

Robert J. Marks
August 31, 2023
1

Usually Robert Marks does the interviewing, but today, the script is flipped. In this episode, we revisit the press tour Dr. Marks went on to promote the seminal ideas of his 2022 book Non-Computable You: What You Do That Artificial Intelligence Never Will, which is about artificial intelligence and the non-computable traits (like creativity and emotional sentience) that make human beings unique.  Additional Read More ›

travelers-together-around-the-campfire-enjoying-the-fresh-air-near-the-tent-under-the-milky-way-in-the-evening-silhouettes-of-two-adventurous-people-camping-in-the-mountains-under-the-starry-sky-stockpack-adobe-stock
Travelers together around the campfire, enjoying the fresh air near the tent under the Milky Way in the evening. Silhouettes of two adventurous people camping in the mountains under the starry sky.
Type
post
Author
Peter Biles
Date
August 13, 2023
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Arts & Culture
Tagged
, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Literature and Personal Consciousness: Why AI Can’t Speak to You

AI can never intend meaning like a human author can
Peter Biles
August 13, 2023
7
Artificial Intelligence, Arts & Culture

One of the biggest contentions in the current debate over OpenAI’s new Large Language Model (LLM) ChatGPT is its purported ability to create a story, to speak and communicate narrative like a human storyteller. If you ask ChatGPT to write an Edgar Allen Poe-esque story, it will generate something spooky, gothic, and darkly poetic. Ask it to write a Shakespearean sonnet, and out comes a fourteen-lined poem about nature and romance. Need a horror thriller like The Shining or It by Stephen King? You got it. For all its scary impressiveness, and the guarantee that the technology will only get better, the chatbot extraordinaire fails and will always fail to tell a story. In fact, it can’t be expected to generate meaningful art and literature Read More ›

prison-prison-wall-with-barbed-wire-law-and-justice-stockpack-adobe-stock
Prison. Prison wall with barbed wire. Law and justice
Type
post
Author
Peter Biles
Date
July 22, 2023
Categorized
Economics
Tagged
, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Martin Luther King Jr. on the Failures of Communism

The great advocate for justice saw, as George Gilder does, why materialism fails us
Peter Biles
July 22, 2023
3
Economics

Technology futurist and economist George Gilder has a new book called Life After Capitalism. One of Gilder’s main points in the book is that knowledge is wealth; with increased human ingenuity comes advanced economic growth, but that’s all dependent on the recognition that mind, not matter, is preeminent, and is essential for the flourishing of society and culture. I’ve been reading some essays of the great social justice advocate Martin Luther King, Jr., and came across a piece he wrote on the failures of Communism as a worldview and political system. His comments sound remarkably akin to Gilder’s views on mind and materialism. Listing his first objection to Communism, King writes, First, Communism is based on a materialistic and humanistic Read More ›

launching-space-rocket-from-laptop-screen-generative-ai-stockpack-adobe-stock
Launching Space Rocket From Laptop Screen. Generative AI
Type
post
Author
News
Date
July 18, 2023
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence
Tagged
, , , , ,

Creative Computers? Marks and Medved on The Rise of Artificial Intelligence

What can a computer do now and what will it be able to do in the future?
News
July 18, 2023
1
Artificial Intelligence

What can a computer do now and what will it be able to do in the future? A remarkable amount of confusion surrounds these questions. On a classic episode of “Great Minds” with Michael Medved, Dr. Robert Marks of Discovery Institute’s Bradley Center for Natural and Artificial Intelligence casts some very helpful light on the limits of AI. Also consider purchasing Dr. Marks’s book Non-Computable You: What You Do That Artificial Intelligence Never Will. We’ve been sharing a number of lectures from past COSM conferences and other videos related to artificial intelligence and technology. This video is just one of many you can find at the Bradley Center’s YouTube page. There you’ll find several lectures, interviews, and panels dealing with issues Read More ›

frozen-section-of-grocery-store-stockpack-adobe-stock
Frozen Section of Grocery Store
Type
post
Author
News
Date
July 18, 2023
Categorized
Economics
Tagged
, , , , , , , , , , ,

More Gale Pooley and More Population Growth

We're living in a time-price revolution
News
July 18, 2023
1
Economics

Countering the prevailing narrative of doom, economist Dr. Gale Pooley shows how the incredible power of learning curves has instead brought about an era of unprecedented abundance. Based on his research into time prices (the money price divided by one’s hourly income), Pooley demonstrates that virtually every commodity is substantially cheaper today than it was decades or centuries ago. We are truly in a time-price revolution. We’ve been sharing a number of lectures from past COSM conferences. This video is just one of many you can find at the Bradley Center’s YouTube page. There you’ll find several lectures, interviews, and panels dealing with issues that range from economics, Big Tech, and artificial intelligence. Notable speakers include 2022 Kyoto Prize winner Read More ›

code on whiteboard
software code in whiteboard
Type
post
Author
Eric Holloway
Date
July 12, 2023
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence
Tagged
, , , , , , , , , , ,

Does ChatGPT Pass the Creativity Test?

What does ChatGPT have to do in order to be considered creative?
Eric Holloway
July 12, 2023
5
Artificial Intelligence

What is creativity? Where does it come from? Why are some things humans do considered creative, while other things mundane? Can AI be creative? To answer these questions, let’s come up with a definition. Creativity at least means something new has been done. No work that copies what has come before is considered creative.  A Creativity Criteria Just doing something new is not enough either. If it were, then I can easily be creative by flipping a coin 100 times. That specific sequence of coin flips will only occur once in the entire history of humanity. But no one would say I was creative when I flipped a coin. This means creativity has to generate a new insight. However, these two criteria are not adequate, Read More ›

man-presenting-to-group-of-people-stockpack-adobe-stock
Man Presenting to Group of People
Type
post
Author
Peter Biles
Date
June 29, 2023
Categorized
Economics
Tagged
, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

New Review of “Life After Capitalism” Amplifies Book’s Core Themes

Returning to the "mind-centered economy" where knowledge is wealth
Peter Biles
June 29, 2023
3
Economics

A new review of George Gilder’s latest book Life After Capitalism from Samuel Gregg highlights the need for the return of the “mind-centered economy,” in which governmental bureaucracies no longer hamper human creativity and imagination. When capitalistic, democratic societies fall for materialistic presuppositions of the world, they end up resembling socialist contexts in which the state is everything and individual men and women are squelched. Gregg writes at the Acton power blog, [Gilder]takes this notion of the free human mind as the decisive factor in driving economic growth and applies it across the board to economic theory, technology, and our understanding of money. Looking at the question of incentives, for example, Gilder points out that they would yield nothing in Read More ›

stack-of-gold-coin-on-black-background-stockpack-adobe-stock
Stack of Gold Coin on Black Background.
Type
post
Author
News
Date
June 23, 2023
Categorized
Economics
Tagged
, , , , , ,

George Gilder on the Eric Metaxas Show: Wealth is Knowledge

Gilder proclaims loud and clear that human knowledge and innovation are the keys to economic growth
News
June 23, 2023
1
Economics

George Gilder, economist, venture capitalist, and author of the new book Life After Capitalism, appeared on the Eric Metaxas Show to discuss his new title and the overarching story of his life. Gilder co-founded Discovery Institute, the parent organization of Mind Matters and the Bradley Center for Natural & Artificial Intelligence, and his 1980 book Wealth & Poverty strongly influenced the economic policy decisions of President Ronald Reagan. In this interview, Gilder speaks with Metaxas about his upbringing, his ascendancy into the public policy sphere, and the philosophy that underpins his life work. Gilder proclaims loud and clear that human knowledge and innovation are the keys to economic growth, and that this points to the fact that the activity of Read More ›

view-from-space-of-orbiting-mother-earth-view-of-china-south-east-asia-india-stockpack-adobe-stock
View from space of orbiting mother earth; view of China, South East Asia, India
Type
post
Author
Peter Biles
Date
June 18, 2023
Categorized
Economics
Tagged
, , , , , , , ,

You Can’t Have Infinite Growth on a Finite Planet…or Can You?

Busting the myths of population growth and economic scarcity
Peter Biles
June 18, 2023
3
Economics

Wired recently came out with an interview with economics data analyst Gaya Herrington proclaiming the doom of humanity if we don’t “shift the paradigm” NOW. Herrington said, Very succinctly, we are at a now-or-never moment. What we do in the next five to 10 years will determine the welfare levels of humanity for the rest of the century. There are so many tipping points approaching, in terms of climate, in terms of biodiversity. So—change our current paradigm, or our welfare must decline. The Planet Can’t Sustain Rapid Growth Much Longer | WIRED Population alarmism is not a new chipmunk at the park. It’s been burrowing its nose into the popular imagination for decades now. But is the hype merited? Are we really Read More ›

forest-in-fog-with-mist-fairy-spooky-looking-woods-in-a-misty-day-cold-foggy-morning-in-horror-forest-with-trees-stockpack-adobe-stock
Forest in fog with mist. Fairy spooky looking woods in a misty day. Cold foggy morning in horror forest with trees
Type
post
Author
Peter Biles
Date
June 17, 2023
Categorized
Arts & Culture, Transhumanism
Tagged
, , , , , , , , , , , ,

That Hideous Strength, A.K.A. Transhumanism

C.S. Lewis's classic science fiction tale is about the temptation to reject being human
Peter Biles
June 17, 2023
7
Arts & Culture, Transhumanism

C.S. Lewis’s 1946 science fiction novel That Hideous Strength is almost eighty years old now. Written during the throes of World War II, the novel is the culmination of Lewis’s cosmic trilogy, preluded by Out of the Silent Planet and Perelandra. There are hosts of other articles attending to the prescience of Lewis’s terrifying novel, and for good reason; That Hideous Strength is a warning against using technology to dehumanize people and ultimately cripple the world into submission. It’s a great book as a novel, but it seems especially appropriate to revisit in lieu of the growing interest in transhumanism and the rapid acceleration of AI development. It feels like much of the talk on AI in recent months involves Read More ›

closeup-of-ben-franklin-on-a-one-hundred-dollar-bill-for-background-iv-stockpack-adobe-stock
Closeup of Ben Franklin on a one hundred dollar bill for background IV
Type
post
Author
George Gilder
Date
June 9, 2023
Categorized
Economics
Tagged
, , , , , , , ,

Life After Capitalism: Human Creativity Drives Economic Growth

Gilder once more rocks the archetypes of modern information theory and economics with a paradigm-shifting salvo of sheer brilliance
George Gilder
June 9, 2023
2
Economics

Author of national bestseller Life After Google and generation-defining Wealth and Poverty, venture capitalist, futurist, and pioneering thinker extraordinaire George Gilder pinpoints how the clash of creativity with power at the heart of economic systems leads to global cognitive dissonance and argues that the creation of the novel taps capitalism’s infinite promise and is humanity’s only path of escape from stagnation and tyranny. Gilder once more rocks the archetypes of modern information theory and economics with a paradigm-shifting salvo of sheer brilliance. The capitalist era is over — get ready for life after capitalism. For more than two hundred years, capitalism spread wealth around the globe, bringing unprecedented prosperity and progress, liberating human potential. But something has gone terribly wrong in the world economy. Read More ›

no-ai-artificial-intelligence-forbidden-sign-lawsuit-copyright-stockpack-adobe-stock
No AI Artificial Intelligence Forbidden Sign Lawsuit Copyright
Type
post
Author
News
Date
June 9, 2023
Tagged
, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Supreme Court Ruling Strikes a Blow to “Generative AI”

Ouch. That's a big loss for AI. Here's why:
News
June 9, 2023
2

Can generative AI “think outside the box” even as it draws from preexisting material on the internet? Are the images it produces protected under “fair use”? The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) has decided “no.” AI fails to be “transformative,” meaning it can’t create new meaning apart from its source material. Robert J. Marks reported on the recent lawsuit Warhol v. Goldsmith, writing, Assume AI is trained with all of the musical compositions of Bach. If the AI generates music that sounds like Bach, it is not transformative. The “meaning or message” can be construed as being the same. It’s still like Bach. On the other hand, if the AI is trained only on Bach but generates music Read More ›

image-3
Type
post
Author
Eric Holloway
Date
June 7, 2023
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence
Tagged
, , , , , , , , , ,

Say What? AI Doesn’t Understand Anything 

Is that supposed to be a cat, Mr. AI?
Eric Holloway
June 7, 2023
9
Artificial Intelligence

Whenever I look at AI generated content, whether it be pictures or text, they all have the same flaw. The AI cannot comprehend what it is making.  Let me explain.  When we humans draw a picture, we are drawing a concept. We are drawing something like “cat climbs a tree” or “cowboy riding into the sunset”. It seems like this is what is happening with a picture drawing AI. We give it a prompt, and it draws an associated picture.  On second thought, maybe not…  When AI draws the picture, what is really going on is it is finding individual-colored pixels that correlate with the letters we typed in its massive database stored in the neural network. Very different than how we draw. We Read More ›

an-analyst-uses-a-computer-and-dashboard-for-data-business-analysis-and-data-management-system-with-kpi-and-metrics-connected-to-the-database-for-technology-finance-operations-sales-marketing-stockpack-adobe-stock
An analyst uses a computer and dashboard for data business analysis and Data Management System with KPI and metrics connected to the database for technology finance, operations, sales, marketing
Type
post
Author
News
Date
June 5, 2023
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence
Tagged
, , , , ,

What Even Is Artificial Intelligence?

When we talk about AI, we're basically talking about computers
News
June 5, 2023
2
Artificial Intelligence

In a recent Mind Matters podcast, computer engineer Robert J. Marks puts the AI hype into perspective by investigating what it can and cannot do. Marks is of the mind that AI can offer a myriad of benefits to the modern world, and notes that the technology has already made inroads into various spheres of life including banking, accounting, and facial recognition technology. The danger lies in believing that AI can replicate human creativity and understanding. While AI can do a lot, it can never understand itself the way human beings can. Marks thinks this is essential to keep in mind. We are not machines. Here is a quote from the episode in which Marks sets some terms and definitions: Read More ›

fire
fire flames with sparks on a black background, close-up
Type
post
Author
News
Date
April 24, 2023
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence
Tagged
, , , , , , , , , ,

Google CEO: AI is More Significant Than the Invention of Fire

Pichai compared the invention of AI to the creation of fire, claiming it surpassed even great leaps in technology like electricity
News
April 24, 2023
1
Artificial Intelligence

The Google CEO Sundar Pichai appeared on a 60 Minute segment to discuss state of the art AI, Google’s Bard, and what AI means to humanity. Pichai compared the invention of AI to the creation of fire, claiming it surpassed even great leaps in technology like electricity. When asked the reason, he replied, “It gets to the essence of what intelligence is.” See the clip below: Pichai also discussed some of the dangers posed by AI, such as the potential proliferation of misinformation and false images. ChatGPT, for all its dexterity, still makes mistakes, as Google’s Bard does too, and concern over the ambiguity over the reliability of photographic images will only grow as AI develops. Of course, Pichai may Read More ›

library with arches
Custom library
Type
post
Author
Peter Biles
Date
April 4, 2023
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Arts & Culture
Tagged
, , , , , , ,

From One Author to an AI

What might John Steinbeck think of AI writing a novel?
Peter Biles
April 4, 2023
4
Artificial Intelligence, Arts & Culture

John Steinbeck was among the most prominent literary figures of the twentieth century, responsible for works such as The Grapes of Wrath, East of Eden, and The Pearl. East of Eden, arguably his best work, is a sprawling novel about two families in the Salinas Valley in California and is often interpreted as a modern-day retelling of the book of Genesis, particularly the story of Cain and Abel. If we were to ask Steinbeck today about AI’s ability to write a good novel, what might the celebrated writer say? Well, an interview with Steinbeck from Paris Review, while it doesn’t have anything to do with computers or artificial intelligence, does reveal a significant aspect of Steinbeck’s own philosophy of writing Read More ›

looking at art
Rear view of a guy in his 30s looking at an art exhibition
Type
post
Author
News
Date
March 21, 2023
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Arts & Culture
Tagged
, , , , ,

Artists and Writers Unite Against AI

New Guardian article highlights the artists and writers pushing back against AI
News
March 21, 2023
2
Artificial Intelligence, Arts & Culture

A new article from The Guardian covers the struggle of artists, writers, and other “creatives” who are pushing back against AI systems like Midjourney and ChatGPT, which they purport is starting to replace their viability. Betsy Reed writes, Poetry may still be a hard nut for AI to crack convincingly, but among the first to face a genuine threat to their livelihoods are photographers and designers. Generative software can produce images at the touch of the button, while sites like the popular NightCafe make “original”, data-derived artwork in response to a few simple verbal prompts. The first line of defence is a growing movement of visual artists and image agencies who are now “opting out” of allowing their work to Read More ›

person on the precipice
Man standing in a high place looking up in wonder to the Milky Way galaxy. Small silhouette of a man under the Milky Way and the magical starry sky. Concept of human smallness.
Type
post
Author
News
Date
March 2, 2023
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence
Tagged
, , , , , , ,

Time for Artificial General Intelligence? Not So Fast, OpenAI

OpenAI CEO is ambitious about the company's direction, but are his hopes profoundly misguided?
News
March 2, 2023
2
Artificial Intelligence

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is ambitious about his company’s future, promising the world that they are developing “artificial general intelligence” (AGI) that will supposedly compete with human intelligence, per a recent Futurism piece. However, the ambition is misguided. Or more than that, the ambition is simply delusional. AI is “not even close” to attaining the creativity and intelligence of human beings, and Altman shouldn’t be parading OpenAI products as if it is. Victor Tangermann writes, In reality, however, LLMs have a very long way to go until they’re able to compete with the intellect of a human being — which is why several experts are calling foul on Altman’s recent blog post, calling it meaningless and misleading. After all, AGI Read More ›